Chef Thomas
A Ploughman's Salad
The old pub ploughman's, shaken loose from its board and laid across butter lettuce with a sharp mustard dressing, for the kind of lunch that feels like you've given yourself the afternoon off.
Culinary Explorer
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Warm Potato Salad with Bacon and Mustard
Created by Chef Thomas
Waxy potatoes, still warm from the pan, tossed with crisp smoked bacon and a sharp, grainy mustard dressing that soaks into every crumbled edge. The kind of salad that earns its place at the centre of the table.
Salads
British
BBQ
Potluck
15 min
Active Time
25 min cook•40 min total
Yield4 servings
The smell of bacon in a warm kitchen is a kind of announcement. Something is happening. Someone is paying attention. It reaches into the other rooms of the house and does what no dinner call ever could.
This is a salad that doesn't behave like one. It's warm and sturdy and satisfying in a way that leaves and vinaigrette rarely manage. The potatoes go into the dressing while they're still hot, which is the whole trick, really. A hot potato absorbs a dressing. A cold one wears it. The difference between the two is the difference between something good and something you'll write down in the notebook. The mustard is sharp, the bacon is salty and crisp, and the shallots have gone soft and sweet in the rendered fat. It all comes together in ten minutes once the potatoes are cooked.
I make this through the year. New Charlottes in June, when the skins are thin as paper and the flesh is waxy and yellow. Bigger, earthier potatoes in October, when you want something that holds its own against the cold. It sits happily next to a grilled chop, or on a table at a gathering where everyone brings a dish and yours is the one they come back to. Right food, right evening. We're only making dinner.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
waxy potatoes (Charlotte or similar)
Quantity
750g
unpeeled
smoked back bacon
Quantity
6 rashers
banana shallots
Quantity
2
peeled and finely sliced
wholegrain mustard
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard
Quantity
1 tablespoon
red wine vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
good olive oil
Quantity
4 tablespoons
runny honey
Quantity
1 teaspoon
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
small bunch
roughly chopped
chives (optional)
Quantity
a few
snipped
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| waxy potatoes (Charlotte or similar)unpeeled | 750g |
| smoked back bacon | 6 rashers |
| banana shallotspeeled and finely sliced | 2 |
| wholegrain mustard | 2 tablespoons |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tablespoon |
| red wine vinegar | 2 tablespoons |
| good olive oil | 4 tablespoons |
| runny honey | 1 teaspoon |
| flat-leaf parsleyroughly chopped | small bunch |
| chives (optional)snipped | a few |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| black pepper | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large saucepan for the potatoes
- •Heavy frying pan or skillet
- •Wide shallow serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Cook the potatoes
Put the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, into a large pan of well-salted cold water. Bring to a steady simmer and cook until a knife slides through them without resistance. Not soft, not chalky. Somewhere between. Depending on size, this takes fifteen to twenty minutes. Drain them and let them sit in the colander for a minute, steaming dry. While they're still hot, cut them into rough halves or thick slices. They should be warm and slightly crumbly at the edges. That roughness is where the dressing clings.
Start in cold water, not boiling. Potatoes dropped into boiling water cook unevenly: the outside falls apart before the centre is done. Cold water, brought up slowly, gives you a potato that is tender all the way through. - 2
Crisp the bacon
While the potatoes simmer, lay the bacon rashers in a cold, dry frying pan. Set it over a medium heat and let them cook slowly as the pan warms. No oil needed. The fat renders out and the bacon crisps in its own dripping. You want it properly golden and firm, not limp and pale. When it's there, lift the rashers onto a board and chop or tear them into rough pieces. Keep the pan and the fat. You'll want both.
- 3
Make the dressing
Turn the heat under the bacon pan to low. Add the sliced shallots to the warm fat and let them soften for two or three minutes, stirring once. They should go translucent and slightly sweet, not coloured. Take the pan off the heat. Add both mustards, the vinegar, the olive oil, and the honey. Stir it all together in the pan, scraping up any sticky bacon bits from the base. Taste it. It should be sharp and punchy, with a warmth from the mustard and a quiet sweetness from the honey. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the vinegar if it needs more bite.
The dressing should taste slightly too sharp on its own. It's going to meet warm, starchy potatoes that will absorb and soften everything. If it tastes balanced in the pan, it will taste flat on the plate. - 4
Dress the potatoes warm
Tumble the warm potato halves into a wide, shallow bowl. Pour the dressing over them while they're still hot. This is the moment that matters. Hot potatoes drink in a dressing the way cold ones never will. Turn everything gently with your hands or a large spoon, being careful not to crush the potatoes but not being too precious about it either. A few broken edges are fine. Scatter the bacon pieces and most of the parsley over the top. Fold through loosely. Finish with the chives and a final grind of pepper. Serve it warm, not hot, not cold. Somewhere in between, where the flavours are open and generous.
Chef Tips
- •The potato variety matters here. You want something waxy that holds its shape: Charlotte, Anya, Maris Peer. A floury potato will collapse into the dressing and you'll have mash with bacon in it. Not the worst outcome, but not what we're after.
- •Dress the potatoes while they're hot. I can't say this enough. Set the dressing out before the potatoes are drained so you can bring the two together the moment the water is off. If the potatoes cool first, the dressing sits on the surface instead of soaking in, and you've lost the best thing about this salad.
- •Use proper smoked back bacon from a butcher if you can. The difference between good bacon and cheap bacon is stark: one crisps and caramelises, the other weeps white liquid into the pan and never quite gets there. Your nose will tell you which you've got.
- •This travels well. If you're taking it to a gathering, make it an hour before you leave and cover it loosely. It's meant to be warm, not hot, so the journey won't hurt it. Give it a gentle turn and a scattering of fresh parsley when you arrive.
Advance Preparation
- •The dressing can be made several hours ahead and left in the pan at room temperature. Warm it gently before tossing with the freshly cooked potatoes.
- •The bacon can be crisped and chopped in advance, kept at room temperature, and scattered over just before serving. It loses its crispness if it sits in the dressing too long.
- •Best eaten within an hour or two of assembly. It reheats passably in a low oven, but the texture is never quite as good as when it's freshly dressed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 280g)
Calories
420 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
17 g
Cholesterol
18 mg
Sodium
1100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
45 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
14 g
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